Maps of Barataria PlantationTaken from Grand Isle on the Gulf: An Early
History by Evans, Stielow & Swanson

In the 1830ís the landowners
on Grand Isle developed their land into large cotton
and sugar cane plantations. The largest plantation of record was
the Barataria
Plantation which covered two miles of the islandís center. It had
over 100 slaves
and thirty-eight slave cabins. There was also a sugar house, blacksmith,
carpenter shop and slave hospital. Plantations were active until
the Civil War.

While plantations were
cultivated on Grand Isle,
Caminadaville remained
dependent on hunting and
fishing, but was becoming
more urban than nearby Grand
Isle. With a population of
over 300, it even had a hotel
to cater to tourists who came
to the coast for surf-bathing.